Everything is my fault
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Everything is my fault
1–10 of 106 posts
Re: Everything is my fault
#2Quick, someone grab his wallet while he's still convinced he's a superhero.
Re: Everything is my fault
#3I shouldn't have been wearing such sexy clothes or walking alone in the park at night. It's my fault.
Re: Everything is my fault
#4Taking responsibility for most every occurrence in one's life is a common theme in successful people.
http://www.chuckrylant.com/it-is-your-fault/
No need to get carried away though...
Re: Everything is my fault
#5Life in general is not one of polar opposites. It's not victim or martyr, it's something in between. He needs to get some balance in his life.
Re: Everything is my fault
#6I shouldn't have been wearing such sexy clothes or walking alone in the park at night. It's my fault.
Exactly. This attitude is a double-edged sword. There is a time for assuming responsibility, even for things that you didn't do directly (that is a huge part of the CEO's job) but extending it too far can be disastrous.
Re: Everything is my fault
#7"Everything is my fault" is entrepreneurs' wishful thinking so that they can believe they can fix whatever situation they're in. However, not everything is under their control, no matter how hard they try to believe.
You don't control the weather, the people in the streets, the companies sending you checks, the currency exchange rates, etc.
Re: Everything is my fault
#8I've found this attitude very useful, especially in social and personal situations. My reaction to everything that doesn't go my way is to examine myself first - what did I do wrong, or what didn't I do, or what could I have done different.[1]
This normally yields useful insight, understanding, and actionable ideas. Blaming others or the situation normally does not.
At it's core, this is about accepting and embracing agency - you have the power to effect changes. I think that so many people in the modern world suffer from learned helplessness[1], where they think that the situation leaves them with no ability to impact events. This is false. Something went wrong? Try something else!
[1] Important Note: This is about things that I do, not things that I am. If you blame yourself innately, that's bad and leads to low self-confidence. It's not yourself, it's your actions - and actions are changeable. [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness
Re: Everything is my fault
#9"Everything is my fault" is entrepreneurs' wishful thinking so that they can believe they can fix whatever situation they're in. However, not everything is under their control, no matter how hard they try to believe. You don't control the weather, the people in the streets, the companies sending you checks, the currency exchange rates, etc.
This is correct, logically speaking. But acting as if you control outcomes gives you the maximal chance for affecting what you CAN control.
Re: Everything is my fault
#10Something like this appeared in Good to Great. In a study of CEOs who lead their companies to significant improvement that lasted after the CEO stepped down, they found a common personality characteristic. The best CEOs constantly were watching for problems, took responsibility (aka fault) for everything that went wrong, credited everything good to others, and then anything that could not be credited to someone they said was luck.
This is a useful attitude. As news goes up the corporate ladder, it inevitably is colored in the most positive possible light. (http://www.davar.net/HUMOR/JOKES/SHIT.HTM is a funny, but true, take on this phenomena.) You need a constant vigilance for problems at the top to counteract it. And the common willingness to rest on your laurels and deflect blame elsewhere is not going to lead to that willingness.